AMES, Iowa, Jan. 21, 2021 — Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, along with collaborators from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, have found a light-induced switch that twists the crystal lattice of the material and switches on an electron current that appears to be nearly dissipationless. The discovery was made in a class of topological materials that researchers believe holds great promise for spintronics, topological effect transistors, and quantum computing. The materials in question, Weyl and Dirac semimetals, are able to host exotic,...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESSemiconductor Surface States Enhance Wavelength ConversionElectrical engineers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have introduced a solution to enhance wavelength-conversion efficiency by exploring the phenomenon of semiconductor surface states....Photonics Spectra October 2021 IssueTerahertz Microscopy Could Boost Performance of PerovskiteTo better evaluate perovskite solar cell material(s), scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory developed a microscope that simultaneously images at the terahertz...Photonics Spectra March 2023 IssueNew Optical Switch Could Lead to All-Optical Signal ProcessingAn optical switch developed by Caltech researchers harnesses the property of optical nonlinearity and aims to enable ultrafast all-optical signal processing and computing. According to its...Photonics Spectra October 2022 IssueOuster Opts for Cuts to Reduce Costs: Week in Brief: 09/23/22Ouster, a provider of high-resolution digital lidar sensors, enacted a comprehensive cost reduction initiative, streamlining its cost structure and extending its expected cash runway. The company is...Photonics.com 9/23/2022PRODUCTSPicosecond Microchip LaserThe QSL103A Picosecond Microchip Laser from Thorlabs Inc. is a passively Q-switched system producing 500-ps pulses centered at 1030 nm. The μJ-level pulse energies produced at kHz-repetition...Photonics.com 5/4/2021NIR SpectrometersThe MicroNIR™ PAT-L and PAT-Lx NIR spectrometers from VIAVI Solutions Inc. is designed for in-line liquid process monitoring. The PAT-L is built for ordinary process locations, while the...BioPhotonics Jan/Feb 2022 IssueFemtosecond LasersThe FSX series of femtosecond pulse width lasers from Photonics Industries International Inc. accommodates user-specified pulse widths for applications that require pulse widths from 350 fs to 20 ps....Photonics Spectra April 2022 IssueUV Curing Area LampThe DELOLUX 203 UV curing area lamp from DELO Industrial Adhesives LLC features a modular design for use in clean rooms. With an external profile based on water cooling, the DELOLUX 203 has a...Photonics.com 7/5/2021PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESOptical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements: To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate errors associated with linear stages.One of the most critical elements of any time-resolved spectroscopy and dynamics experiment is the optical delay line. A typical optical delay line consists of a retroreflector or folding mirrors on...Photonics HandbookLaser Safety: Important Considerations: Laser safety is nothing to scoff at; lasers can be hazardous. Enter Class 1 laser products — lasers that are so safe that the user doesn’t require specific laser safety training or protective eyewear. Some precautions still exist, though.When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...Photonics HandbookLaser Measurement Systems: Best Practices: When purchasing a laser, learning how to apply, troubleshoot, and evaluate that device is very important.Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSInnovating the Tunable Light Source - How the Tunable Laser System is Applied in Fluorescence MicroscopyThe market for the tunable light source is ever expanding due to its uses in countless fields, such as the inspection industry, machine visioning, and a wide range of optical experiments....Photonics.com 12/2/2022Diffraction Gratings - an IntroductionThis paper is ideal for those wanting an introductory guide to the various types of diffraction gratings and understanding their advantages and disadvantages as well as including some useful grating...Photonics.com 8/25/2022Characterization of Advanced Semiconductor Materials and Processes with Nanoscale IR SpectroscopyThis application note demonstrates the successful application of Tapping AFM-IR to distinguish the chemical footprints of several nanoscale lithographic patterns consisting of complex molecular...Photonics.com 3/31/2021Photoluminescence of Lanthanide-based Optical ProbesOptical probes based on lanthanide complexes are of particular interest in the biomedical field and life sciences due to their unique magnetic and photoluminescent properties. In this application...Photonics.com 2/23/2023WEBINARSIdentifying and Controlling Defects in 2D Metal DichalcogenidesSemiconducting two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as MoS2, MoSe2, WSe2, and WS2 hold great promise for many novel applications, and recent years have witnessed tremendous...Photonics.com 1/21/2021Preview Agilent’s soon-to-be-released Cary Universal Measurement Spectrophotometer (UMS)Free Webinar See what you’ve been missing: Learn how Agilent’s soon-to-be-released Cary Universal Measurement Spectrophotometer (UMS) will advance your materials analysis. ...Photonics.com 5/13/2013Raman Spectroscopy for Research and IndustryFREE WEBINAR Additional Questions and Answers from the Webinar are below: Speakers to include: David J. Brady, Duke University Computational and Compressive Raman Spectroscopy ...Photonics.com 6/24/2013Photonics Spectra Conference 2022: January 10 - 13Photonics Media will host its second annual Photonics Spectra Conference Jan. 10-13. The virtual event will comprise four technology tracks — Lasers, Optics, Sensors and Detectors, and Imaging...Photonics.com 1/10/2022PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSself-electro-optic effect device (SEED)An optically bistable device used for photonic switching, constructed of a multiple quantum well biased by an external voltage, which creates an external field that shifts the wavelength of the onset...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009photonic switchingThe use of photonic devices rather than electronic devices to make or break connections within integrated circuits.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009optical emission spectroscopy (OES)In dry etching, a method of characterizing the composition of solid materials such as metal. Atoms in the OES technique are excited by energy that comes from a spark formed between the sample and an...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopyA spectroscopic technique that combines the high chemical specificity of Raman scattering and signal sensitivity provided by surface plasmon resonance enhancement, with the nanoscale spatial...EDU.photonics.com 6/30/2017MEDIASupporting the Photonics Industry from the Laboratory - LIGHT MATTERS 01.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to central Massachusetts as Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Quinsigamond Community College take on a comprehensive joint photonics laboratory...Photonics.com 1/18/2018Light Matters Extra: Optifab 2017 - 10.2017In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at North America's largest optical fabrication exhibition and show – Optifab 2017. 188 companies filled the showroom floor of the...Photonics.com 10/26/2017Fundamentally Different Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 03.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Trade Show in Austin, Texas, as new photonics innovations hit the show floor of the Austin Convention Center....Photonics.com 3/29/2018Light Matters Extra: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at MIT run by Dr. Dirk Englund. Dr. Englund's group, the Quantum Photonics Group, is made up of postdocs and...Photonics.com 3/29/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESGermanium CrystalsSpectrometric TestingCleaning Materials and Equipment for OpticsGrinding and Polishing MachineryCOMPANIESOZ Optics LimitedEstablished in 1985, OZ Optics is a leading worldwide supplier of fiber optic components, test equipment and sensors. OZ Optics manufactures its products in three locations, Ottawa (Canada),...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara Corporation, Western OfficeOhara manufactures precision optical glasses: strip/slab, cut/molded blanks, pressings, high homogeneity blanks, fine gobs, polished ball lenses, near-UV transmitting i-Line glass, ceramic...Photonics Buyers' GuideGlass Fab Inc.A History of Quality Since 1974 Glass Fab Inc. has met customers' stringent specifications by providing fabricated parts made of optical glass, filter glass, fused quartz and fused silica, low...Photonics Buyers' GuideLambda Research Optics Inc. (USA)Lambda Research Optics, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of laser optics with high power thin-film coatings and high precision fabrications. Lambda serves a wide range of industries, such as Biotech,...Photonics Buyers' Guide